Easthampton gas station robbed

EASTHAMPTON — A masked man brandished a knife and stole a cash register containing about $100 at Main Street Service Wednesday at 8:17 p.m., police said.

Police Sgt. William Kelly said the attendant at the 317 Main St. gas station said a man wearing a ski mask came in with a knife and demanded money before grabbing the cash register and running outside.

The attendant chased him outside and grabbed him by the back of his jacket, but let go when the man swung the blade at him. The masked man then ran down Fleury Court, which police determined by a trail of change that apparently fell from the register as he ran. “The trail stops abruptly on Fleury Court, so we think he probably had a vehicle parked there,” Kelly said.

The man discarded his mask, which helped the State Police K9 Unit identify his scent, but the trail went dead where the car was thought to be parked. It is unknown whether he had an accomplice driving the car.

The attendant described the man as a 6-foot tall white man wearing either a black vest or jacket with gray sleeves and jeans.

Main Street Service does not have security cameras, Kelly said. “It’s almost like the guy knew that,” he said, adding that the man also struck just before closing time, when the station was likely to have the most money in the register.